Dashboard Abs, do you want it?

 Trim mid-section, 6 pack abs, who doesn't love that look? Whether your a woman or a man, young or old, this is something everyone desires. But getting to that is not very simple though. Living in Malaysia where food can be found everywhere, anytime, this can be a very difficult feat. And if you were to notice another thing, nearly all Malaysian food eaten outside is unhealthy. From all the 'goreng-goreng', to high carbs, highly sweetened beverages, it would pile on the pounds in an instant.
                               

                                          An example of Malaysian dishes.. healthy, you think?

    So, for those of you who can really be disciplined, I have taken the liberty of preparing this blog with some workout and diet advice to help you with that 6 pack goal. Firstly, let me make it absolutely clear that there is no such thing as spot reduction. What do I mean by spot reduction? Spot reduction is when you focus only on a certain part of your body exercise wise and expect to see improvements. the answer; Never. Never will there be any improvements by just doing sit-up, for example. There has to be a balance between proper eating, cardio and weight bearing exercises.

   Below are few some of the workout and diet plan that you can follow:

Diet

Breakfast - 3 egg whites(scrambled without oil) with a slice of toast and a slice of fruit.

Mid-morning snack - palm sized almonds/cashew nuts (roasted)

Lunch - 1 capati with dhal, vege and 1-2 pieces chicken (lean, and without gravy, not fried)

Evening snack - 2 boiled egg whites

Dinner - 1 steamed fish and a cup of vegetables

Supper - 1 cup Greek yogurt.

Now, the above is a diet that can be followed by both men and women, and the portion of the foods depends also on your current weight. Also, remember to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, and avoid any sweetened drinks.

Cardio

Jogging 3-4 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Workout 

1.)Lying Leg Raise

Reps - 8-12 (2 sets)

                                                  

2.)Hanging Leg Raise

Reps - 8-12 (2 sets)

                                          

3.)Decline Russian Twist

Reps - 8-12 (2 sets)

                                           

4.)Plank

Hold for 20 seconds (2 sets)

                                         

Jackknife

Reps - 12 each side (2 sets)

                                         

And end the above with a good stretch. You can try the cobra, that really stretches your midsection.

                                        

                                 

                                          The cobra pose - Be sure not to overstretch or go too fast

     This is all you need, believe it or not. Just make sure everything from the above is followed, and you would be seeing gains pretty quick. One surprising factor in the equation to great abs is a good nights rest. Can you believe that? This is because insufficient sleep can lead to high blood pressure and also weight gain, not forgetting heart disease.Also, not sure if you realized this, but getting reduced sleep can make us over-indulge in high-carb foods and post dinner snacks, which inter-relates with weight gain.

     So the key to all this? I have been mentioning it in my previous blogs as well....discipline, discipline, discipline. Our goal has to be to burn those fats. What I do is, when I go do my shopping at Giant, I step on the scale to check my weight, BMI, blood pressure , fat percentage and all. It's only RM1. Quite a cool machine. It might not give you the exact reading, but it is close. And when you see yourself improving, you will get enthusiastic to push further. Trust me on that. To make a six pack appear, you need to at least bring your fat percentage down to 6-9%. That is very low, and very difficult. I know, because I have been trying really hard, and even I have the problem I mentioned earlier. Discipline. I am at 23 % now, still high even though I managed to bring it down from 31%.

  So guys, give it your best, and I'll see what new things I can share with you guys. Adios amigos!